This invention relates to an outdoor trash receptacle that is partially buried in the ground at a collection site and which has a lock to prevent unauthorized access to the receptacle.
As evidenced by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,407,941 and 1,550,043, garbage receptacles have been devised for storing trash in outdoor areas while awaiting collection. For the most part, these devices are unsightly and can be opened by animals and humans. Furthermore, these containers are typically top heavy and thus easily tipped over by high winds or vandals, thereby scattering the contents about the neighborhood. In addition, the containers are generally poorly fabricated and susceptible to damage. Lastly, little or no provision is made for cleaning and sanitizing the container and, as a consequence, they can become contaminated after being used only a short time. Contaminated containers not only smell bad but also breed germs and insects.
In recent years more and more communities have turned to segregating refuse into reclaimable solid waste products and disposable waste. Solid waste generally includes cans, bottles and newsprint, while disposable products include, for the most part, burnable trash having no reclaimable value. U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,699 to Ertley describes the problems faced by the average household in managing this type of segregatable waste. A waste recycling system is disclosed wherein the various types of trash are segregated into individual bins in the home or garage. When the bins are filled, they are brought to the curb and inserted into an in-ground container which is fully buried in the ground except for its removable lid. In one embodiment, trash is stored in the container in paper bags. In another embodiment, removable trash cans containing segregated trash are stored in the container.
There is a high probability that paper bags will break within an in-ground container, particular when wet garbage is placed in the bags. Cleaning wet garbage from the interior of the Ertley container is extremely difficult because water collected in the container generally has no way of escaping. The container, furthermore, is not vented to atmosphere so that moisture collected in the container can not be dissipated into the surrounding ambient. By the same token, unpleasant odors associated with collected trash will buildup in the container and thus tend to pollute the surrounding neighborhood when the cover is removed. The cover is not secured to the container and thus can be opened by anyone. This creates an attractive nuisance and a potential hazard in that people and animals can fall into a container that is left open. This risk is especially high in the case of young children.
Edgerton in U.S. Pat. No. 950,097 also discloses an in-ground refuge storage system in which a conventional cylindrical trash can is inserted into an in-ground shell. This receptacle suffers from the same disadvantages found in Ertley in that the container is difficult to clean, has an unsecured lid which can be opened by anyone and thus pose a danger to both the health and physical well-being to those in the neighborhood.